Where It Is
by Lif61
Summary: Sam gets back home after his meeting with Lucifer, and he has to follow his demands. Dean and Castiel have found Sam's note.


**A/N: This is the sequel to "Where It All Started." There will be a part three called "Where It Will End."**

* * *

"What the hell is this?" Dean asked, holding up a paper that Sam recognized. It was the note he'd left hidden for them in case he didn't make it back.

He had, it was morning now, Dean was even dressed, but maybe it didn't matter that he'd made it back. Surely Lucifer had started in on his plans for destruction. He was coming.

His breath caught in his throat, and he couldn't swallow either, saliva building up in his mouth.

Sam was by the door, which he'd just closed, Dean at the table in the war room, so Sam stared down at him, mouth agape, and he grabbed the railing for support. Castiel was beside his brother.

"I…"

"_Hopefully I'll come back and you'll never have to see this…_" Dean read, "_...this is something I have to do alone…_ _P.S. Dean, if I don't make it back, the Impala's home, in Lawrence. I'll take good care of her._" He finished, staring at Sam, and then shoved the note at Castiel. "I'll take good care of her," he repeated. "I'll take good care of her?!"

Sam swallowed roughly, not ready to come down the stairs yet, Lucifer's voice echoing in his mind:

"_I want you to keep this between us, okay? Can you do that for me?_"

Castiel was staring at Sam, breathing hard, clearly worked up, but not as angry, so he put a warning hand on his brother. "Dean."

"_I know, I know you're thinking you'll leave and then tell your family, but… You tell anyone, and I kill our son._"

"Where's Jack?" Sam asked when he could finally get words out. "How is he?"

"Don't pull a '_How's Jack?_' with me and think we're good," Dean spat. "Where the hell did you go?"

"Nowhere."

"Nowhere, huh? Cas, read the first line for him. I think he forgot what he wrote."

"_Hey, guys,_" Castiel began to read. "_Hopefully I'll come back and_—"

Sam interrupted, "Cas, stop. I know what I wrote."

Sam sighed, making his way down the stairs now, coming over to them and hoping his brother wasn't about to punch him in the face as an advanced interrogation tactic.

"I can't tell you," he admitted. "You weren't supposed to find that." He took it from them, and then brushed past them, saying, "I'm tired, okay? Just leave me alone."

Sam was more than tired.

He was absolutely terrified.

Lucifer was coming.

His family followed him through the halls.

"You can't just leave like that. We have a sick kid!" Dean argued.

"Jack!" Sam called. "Jack, buddy, you alright?"

There was coughing, and even as it sparked panic through Sam he was relieved.

Lucifer hadn't been here.

He entered Jack's room, and his son was lying in bed, coughing up blood into a tissue, his face as pale as death, dark circles under his blue eyes, which were now dull, and exhausted. It made tears prick at the corners of Sam's eyes, but he ducked his head for a quick second, steeling himself, and then stepped into the room.

"What's going on?" his son asked, voice weak.

"Nothing," Castiel told him, smiling at him, and sitting on the bed with him even as Sam sat beside him. "Don't worry about it. We're all here."

Dean glared at Sam, but for the moment his excursion was put aside, and he was just allowed time with his son.

* * *

The topic didn't come up again till dinner.

"Were you hunting?" Castiel.

"No," Sam answered honestly.

"Seeing a friend," Dean guessed.

"Demon deal."

"Trying to find a way to help Jack."

Sam hung his head in shame that he hadn't been doing the last one, though he had thought he'd still been doing it to protect him, and now he was keeping silent to protect him.

"No, no, and no. I… I got a message. That's all I can tell you."

Dean just about slammed his fork down on the table and groaned, green eyes flashing with irritation, and Castiel didn't seem to like being mixed up in the middle of this, but he was worried.

"Sam, you can tell us," Castiel urged.

"No, I can't!" Sam cried, shoving his plate away, and standing up. "You think I don't want to? You think I went on a little road trip and everything's fine? Well it's not! _Believe me_, I want to tell you! I do. Where I went, what I did, who I saw… It was messed _up_. It's all messed up, but I can't say _anything_."

"Sammy, who's threatening you?" Dean asked.

"No one."

"Sam," Castiel intoned. "It's alright."

"No, it's not! You-you… You think you can stand up to him? Well you can't! We haven't before, and we can't now, and he's just gonna… He's just gonna…" Sam couldn't breathe, tears falling down his face, dripping off his chin, and he was backing away from them, running his hand through his hair. Oh god, he might've said too much. He turned away, trying to hold in a sob, and a whine left him.

"Sammy," Dean told him. "Sammy, we're here. We're right here."

"You won't be." Deafening silence followed, and he went on, "I… I _can't_ tell you, alright? It's to protect Jack. Jack's life is in danger if I talk." Sam faced them now, his upper lip trembling. "We're already losing him… but I don't want to be responsible for his last breath."

"God, Sam, you won't be," Castiel got out.

They came about the table and were hugging him now, hard, thumping him on the back, assuring him that they were there, that they had him, and Sam just held on tight, knowing it would all be gone.

"_I want to surprise everyone when I come back. Was thinking I'd go on a killing spree, maybe decimate Heaven. Even Hell. I'll get to Earth later._"

"Is there anything we can do?" Dean asked him eventually, pulling back. "This sounds bad. Can we prepare, can we—"

"No, nothing."

"So what do we do?" Castiel asked.

"_Now, I'm off to destroy the world, Sammy._"

"I guess… I guess we keep hunting," Sam said. "We take care of each other. It's all we got."

"Sam, I don't like how that sounds."

"Me either," Sam agreed. "But I say anything else, and Jack—" He hissed in a breath, more tears falling. "I'm sorry. God, I'm sorry."

Sam left the kitchen, unable to face all of them, worrying he'd said too much, and waiting for the inevitable end that Lucifer had promised him.

"_And I'm going to finish with you. I'm going to end it all as it started, make you drink the blood of the last demon I keep alive, turn you into my slave, torture you and ride you for days, and then I'm going to kill you._"


End file.
